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SALT LAKE CITY — Frank Frost was 6 years old when his older sister disappeared.
For almost 28 years, no one from his family has heard from Debra Frost, who was 17 at the time she went missing. But Frank Frost said he has never given up hope that the mystery of what happened to his sister will be solved.
"I just refuse to give up," he said.
That patience and persistence in contacting authorities and news media may be paying off as Salt Lake police have announced they have a new lead in the case.
Investigators say they received an anonymous tip about a year ago concerning the disappearance of Debra Frost who went missing on July 9, 1984. That tip led them to Rock Springs, Wyo., where she had some sort of contact with police on July 21 — 12 days after she was last seen, said Salt Lake Police Sgt. Josh Ashdown.
The nature of the contact with police is unknown, however, because police records from then have been purged, Ashdown said.
But investigators believe Frost's only connection to Rock Springs was a man named Fred Martinez, who would have been 30 years old at the time and who took his own life in 1995.
Investigators are now asking any of Martinez's friends, family members, co-workers or acquaintances to come forward and talk to them. They were not, however, calling him a suspect Wednesday in her disappearance.
Frost, of Salt Lake City, was reportedly last seen about 10 p.m. on July 9 after visiting her boyfriend. She was seen at Mountain Bell Plaza, 250 E. 200 South, either walking or hitchhiking.
Frank Frost, who lives in Minnesota, has been calling the Salt Lake Police Department for years to check up on any possible breaks or changes in the status of her case. He was also active in trying to get local and national media organizations to do stories on his sister's case, often times with little success.
"I felt the media and police stopped caring because (the case) was so old," he said.
In 2011, however, his persistence paid off.
A TV story sparked an anonymous tip to Salt Lake police who sent investigators to Rock Springs to conduct interviews.
Frost said in doing his own interviews, including talks with the Sweetwater County, Wyo., Sheriff's Office, he learned that his sister and Martinez were "semi-dating." He also said drugs may have been involved.
Debra Frost went missing the night before she was supposed to go live with the rest of her family in California for awhile.
"My sister was actually supposed to go the next day with my aunt to California to visit me and my sister and my mom. She was supposed to stay with us to get away from the troubles she was having," Frank Frost said.
When they were stopped by a Sweetwater County sheriff's deputy in a vehicle, Debra Frost and Martinez were together, he said.
Frost did not know if any national databases were checked at that time, or which ones were available. The National Criminal Information Center was started in 1967 but received significant upgrades in 1999.
Frank Frost said there is currently no evidence to prove Martinez had anything to do with his sister's disappearance and he does not want to pass judgment on him. But he does worry that "if he had something to do with my sister's disappearance, I'm worried the secret of what happened may have died with him. If that's not the case, if someone else knew what happened, I'm hoping they will come forward."
Whatever the outcome, Frost doesn't expect to find his sister alive.
"It's unrealistic after all these years for me to expect to find her alive," he said. "I think the best thing we can reasonably hope for is to find her body and bring her home for a good burial."
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, Frost has a burn scar on her left calf and was last seen wearing a black tube-top with white fishnet over it, long blue pants and blue tennis shoes. She was listed as 5 feet, 6 inches tall, weighing 120 pounds at the time of her disappearance.
Anyone with information can call Salt Lake police at 801-799-3000, 801-799-INFO (4636), or send a text message to CRIMES (274637) with the keyword TIPSLCPD.
Email:preavy@ksl.com
